Live Your Life Guided by the Holy Spirit’s Lead (Die to Self)

So, I say let the Holy Spirit guide your lives; then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. (Galatians 5:16 NLT)

This is a great scripture for me always, but right now in particular. Through His Holy Spirit, I am really hearing God telling me to exercise, eat properly, and the result will be an emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually bountiful life! I can already see and experience some of the wonderful peace and feeling of fulfilment God has for me when I choose to obey the guiding of the Holy Spirit. It is hard to submit and give up what I want and instead follow His lead and hear His still small voice directing me, but it is more than worth it. I am certain that if I don’t do it, refuse to follow His lead, I will miss out on so much! I will completely forfeit the beauty He is standing, ready to pour out on my life over the ashes of my past.

Crucified with Christ? What Does that Mean?

Recently, the Lord has been teaching me what ‘crucified with Christ’ means. I never quite understood that before. I couldn’t understand how I could die with Christ, as He had died on the cross, while here I am alive, thousands of years later. 

I think I’m starting to understand this whole idea of “dying to self.” To “die to self” is to really live the life God has intended and planned for you! It’s about every little decision you make all day long, every day. You give those thoughts and decisions and choices over to Christ, and you listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling you. You then consciously make a choice you know the Holy Spirit tells you to make. It’s not easy, as you want to do what you want to do, and it ends up a battle of the will. Also, it’s a bit more stressful at first (at least for me) because I don’t want to think that much or be disciplined. I just want the freedom to do what I want to do in the moment.

Experiencing Real Peace

When I make the choices I believe the Holy Spirit is calling me to make; I have this supernatural sense of calm, freedom, and peace. It’s a feeling that is very hard to articulate. The only thing I can compare it to is the sense of wonder, freedom, and happiness I remember feeling as a five-year-old girl walking home from school before all the bad things starting happening in my family. It’s a carefree feeling. An inner sense that everything is beautiful and wonderful in the world, and you’re just waiting for the next great thing to happen. I’ve been missing that feeling for over 50 years now! Maybe as children, we can sense the joy the Holy Spirit pours over us more readily because the strife in the world hasn’t started blocking Him out yet. When I stay in tune with the Holy Spirit, I begin to get that sense of wonder and freedom back. 

Christ has set us free to enjoy our freedom. So remain strong in the faith. Don’t let the chains of slavery hold you again. (Galatians 5:1 NIRV)

Don’t go back to bondage. When you fall (because you will), start again. Eventually, you will get better at it and be more consistent. Then you will begin to see God’s blessings pour out in abundance. Put God first in everything, and all things will then be given unto you! It’s a process. It helps to focus on how far you’ve come, not how far you have yet to go.

I believe some people might misunderstand by thinking this isn’t freedom. I am now in slavery to the Holy Spirit! How can I say I’m free if I take the time to capture every thought and give it over to the Holy Spirit for direction? However, that is the deception from the enemy that we need to fight. Our spiritual enemy tricks us into thinking we are free if we can just do whatever we feel like doing. However, when we do that, we are actually in bondage to our enemy Satan. If the Holy Spirit is not directing our thoughts, the enemy is. We will always belong to one spiritual ruler or another. Christ has offered us the power to choose life or death. I choose life!

Dearest Father in Heaven, I can never thank you enough for the gift of Your Son and of Your Holy Spirit. I look to You for continued guidance and direction. Thank you that You are full of grace and mercy when I don’t listen and choose my own path. Thank you that You never give up on me and will always call me back no matter how many times I stray.